It used to be that all the news coverage leading up to the Super Bowl was all about the high ticket prices to get into the game, or the sneak previews of the TV commercials and the cost of a 30 second spot or all the celebrities who attend all the events in the host city.
That’s what it was like the week before the “big game” when San Diego hosted Super Bowls in 1988, 1998 and 2003.That’s what the news coverage leading up to it used to be all about.
But over recent years something dark has inserted itself into the coverage; human trafficking.
This week began with stories about what the city of Miami and the NFL is doing to prevent the prostitution that has become associated with Super Bowl weeks.
And in a city like Miami, which the USA Today reports is known for having more arrests of NFL players than any other city, and which it describes as a “city notorious for its never-ending night life, rife with bars, dance clubs, strip clubs and anything else party-goers are looking for”, local law enforcement is cracking down.
Thankfully, more attention also is being given now to human trafficking in many cities including San Diego…with increased efforts by police and the D-A’s office here in recent years.
Having lost our NFL team, San Diego may never host another Super Bowl, but the problem of human trafficking in a city next to the border may never fully go away.
(Photo credit Getty Images)